Originally Posted by ruffryder (Post 674647)

Hello and happy weekend healthies !!

I found this article at Shape and thought I'd share it here. It says 7 Foods A Nutritionist Would Never Eat .. so maybe you shouldn't either!

1. Rice Cakes - They are the ultimate diet food for low-fat/no-fat, but don’t be fooled. Rice cakes can have a glycemic index rating as high as 91 (pure glucose has a rating of 100), making it the kind of carbohydrate that will send your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride. This is bad for weight loss and for your health.

2. Fat Free Salad Dressing - It's a good food gone bad. Salad dressing is the perfect combination of vinegar (which helps control blood sugar) and plant oils (full of essential fatty acids and sometimes antioxidants). But the result of fat-free salad dressings is sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other ingredients not so good.

3. Seitan - Originally from Asia, is a common meat substitute for vegetarian dishes. Unlike many meat substitutes, seitan is not soy derived but made entirely of wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is a highly allergenic protein that is naturally found only in small amounts in wheat-based products. While there is no research linking seitan intake to increased prevalence of gluten allergies or intolerances, but perhaps eating a lot of this allergenic protein may trigger development of a more severe gluten allergy or intolerance.

4. Shark - The risk/benefit ratio of eating fish (the benefits of omega-3 fats vs. the risk of mercury) typically falls in favor of the omega-3 fats and their incredible health effects. Shark is one of the exceptions. Despite having an omega-3 fat content similar to tuna, shark contains almost three times the amount of mercury. Tilefish is another high mercury/low omega-3 fish that should be avoided. Salmon is your best bet for maximizing omega-3 fats while minimizing mercury levels.

5. Refined and Refortified Grains - Unfortunately this rules out a majority of the carbohydrates found on supermarket shelves. Refined and re-fortified grains are grain-based foods like certain breakfast cereals, pastas, and rice products that have been refined such that the naturally occurring fiber, vitamins, and minerals have been removed. Companies then replace the fiber and synthetic versions of the vitamins and minerals that were initially removed.

6. Sugar Sweetened Beverages - If you stop eating only one thing on this list, it should be sugar-sweetened beverages. The empty calories help pad your waistline without offering any sense of satiety or fullness. Plus, simple sugars do an excellent job of lowering your good cholesterol and increasing your triglyceride levels (two risk factors for heart disease). Drinking sugary beverages also promotes disturbances in your body’s inflammatory balance, making it harder to recover from exercise and increasing your risk of numerous chronic diseases.

7. Grits - Another hyper-refined carbohydrate. Nutritionally speaking, grits lack significant amounts of vitamins or minerals. They contain a minute amount of fiber and no essential fats. Their flavor is lacking and thus butter or heavy cream is used to make them palatable, bringing together the blood-vessel-destroying, unholy marriage of simple carbohydrates and saturated fat.

I know for me I need to check the fat free dressings I have! I think some of you have offered recipes and alternatives here for dressings. I also need to get away from sodas, whether they are no calorie or otherwise. I had lost some lbs and gained them back and I know where they came from, sugar and carbs! I'm gonna focus on 10 lbs for now, losing 10 lbs and I'm gonna go for this by end of the year and see where I stand. That's a good goal for me. :)

I start my new position at work tonight and I don't plan on eating all night or early morning while I'm working. I need to plan accordingly and eat dinner before I go to work and take a snack or two that is good for me. I'll also be drinking black coffee and tea. On the plus side, I'll be getting off my arse and moving more for this job!

Originally Posted by Dance-with-me (Post 675751)

Hi, I'd like to join in with this thread.

I am an anti-dieter for many reasons, and want simply to focus on eating good, healthy foods in reasonable portions with occasional treats in moderation and a strong focus on local/seasonal eating, and moving my body as much as I need it to move for stress reduction, heart health, and to increase my strength, endurance and flexibility. I've found that when I focus on that instead of on the scale or any other outward measure, not only do I feel better, but that the pounds and inches also naturally fall off - and I certainly doing go looking for them.

I liked what cajun_dee just posted. I'm a strong believer that fake processed crap masquerading as "diet food" is the worst thing for me. I'd much rather have a reasonable portion of real butter over a blob of "reduced fat spread, some good-quality olive oil, flavored vinegar and some herbs and a bit of strong hard cheese than "fat free salad dressing," and I'd rather have a small portion of a really excellent cheesecake or brownie than an entire package of "reduced fat" or "sugar free" cookies. If I have quality, substance, and real foods, my cravings for the crap are greatly reduced.

My downfall is sugar and alcohol. I enjoy having a drink in the evening, but my waistline definitely thinks it's a bad idea. And sugar.... Definitely have to get a grip on my sugar consumption. My other problem is forgetting to eat meals, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner: I feel like I'm fine at the time, but then later on I'm focused on getting whatever I can find quickly and easily into my system.

Is there a thread anywhere for sharing recipes? I'd love to share and get more ideas on things that are easy to fix, delicious, and relatively healthy.

Originally Posted by *Anya* (Post 679862)

I am sitting in Nordie's Bistro and was just beating myself up because the "Not your daughter's jeans", dress slacks and blouse that I just bought, are not size 10 but are 12 petite ( I am a shorty: 5"3).

I had to give myself a stern talking to.

In 2009, I was in size 22's. Yep, not only short but short and fat.

I hope that does not offend anyone but for me, there are no euphuisms. It is exactly what I was.

I am not thin, maybe if I had larger breasts, I could be considered voluptuous. I don't know exactly what I am, other than hypercritical of myself.

I am back where I was after I lost 50 pounds. My cholesterol is staying at 170, from the high of 270, even after stopping the Lipitor.

Self-acceptance.

Even more difficult than losing weight.